When Ram was in a fix

A day before he left for his much-deserved European holiday, actor Ram, who is awaiting the release of his first multi-starrer ‘Masala’, was in a mood to chat. Unperturbed by his recent failures (‘Endukante Premanta’ and ‘Ongole Githa’), the actor says ‘Masala’, a remake of Bollywood hit ‘Bol Bachchan’, is as safe as it can get. “It is an entertainer from the first to the last reel. I watched the first copy recently and couldn’t stop laughing. People who watched it for the tenth time along with me echoed a similar reaction,” he says.

Talking about what made him sign up for the role, he says, “It was Venky garu who insisted that I be part of the remake. I was apprehensive about the role, especially since it required me to play a gay. I was unsure how the audience will take it but after two days of brain storming, I decided to give it a shot. People around me were in for a surprise when I said yes,” he recalls and adds, “I’m glad that because of the character, the film looks special. I’ve took the right decision.”

While he never had the luxury of taking any tips from Superstar Venkatesh, he says there was great camaraderie on sets. “We discussed each scene thoroughly before we shot. On some occasions, I couldn’t hide my laughter and ditto was the case with him. We had to go to serene places where the shoot was not going on to facilitate some portions. The biggest compliment from Venky garu was his uncontrollable laughter after he checked our sequences on the monitor,” he smiles.

On the fun times on the sets, he shares, “The moustache would frequently get displaced, much to the dismay of the cameraman. Since we shot the film in summer, the trouble piled up. It was a torture, but in the end I pulled it off,” he smiles wide.

It was his idea to rope in Vijaya Bhaskar to direct the film. “He directed Venky garu twice in the past and has done a handful of films with our banner (Sravanthi Movies) too. I share a great equation with him and he is an honest gentleman. Give him a good script and a writer, he’ll pull of the film with ease. He optimised writer Anil Ravipudi skills which turned out to be a great asset for the project,” he says.

One who believes in improvising a lot on sets, he says that he is open to do multi-starrers with stars of his age too. “Currently Tollywood is going with the flow of multi-starrers, but I don’t see it to be the trend in the coming days,” he insists.

Veering into his future projects, he says, “I have three scripts with me. My new project, which I will announce in a month or two, will only commence early next year.”

So when is going to walk down the aisle? “My marriage is like a film’s fate - it is not in my hands. If it is bound to happen, it will indeed,” he signs off on a diplomatic note.